benefits of goji berry for health

benefits of goji berryThe Cooking of Kerala

Kerala is situated on the South West coast of India right beside Tamil Nadu. The capital is Trivandrum with its bustling harbour lined with fishing nets and home to fishing boats of all shapes and sizes.

Much of the architecture has been influenced by the Chinese who traded along the coast leaving legacy of cooking pots similar to woks, cleavers and pickling jars. As well as the Chinese, the abundance of spices in Kerala attracted the attentions of the early Phoenicians, Syrians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all of whom were happy just to trade and return home. Fighting over the territory didn�t begin until the late 15th Century when the British, Dutch, Portuguese and French tried to stake their claims to the spice riches. The British ended up the victors and set up a factory and depot dealing in spices in Tellicherry, a name still associated with good quality pepper.

Black pepper is prolific in Kerala and makes a major contribution to India�s input of one third of the world�s production. Cardamom too is a native here and the warm, damp growing conditions are ideal for ginger and turmeric rhizomes to flourish.

Kerala is famous for its inland waterways including lakes, lagoons, canals and rivers, collectively known as backwaters, bordered by tropical, lush, greenery and paddy fields as well as homes and schools. The backwaters provide a road network along which transport in the form of canoes, grass-thatched rice boats and overloaded water buses ply their trade.

Kerala means �land of the coconuts� and no part of the coconut is wasted - the oil is used for frying and the dressing of hair. The flesh appears in a large number of cooked dishes and the coir which is produced from the husk of the coconut, is used to make floor mats, mattresses and many handicrafts.

Fish is big business here - a lot of prawns are exported to Japan and USA, having first been peeled and sorted by size by an all-woman workforce and frozen. Squid too goes to Japan as well as frogs� legs to France but the majority is eaten locally.

There are many methods of fishing - Chinese fishing nets attached to upright wooden poles catch what is swimming by. The nets are raised and lowered with ropes and the catch extracted. Trawlers fish the deeper waters and, as elsewhere, fill their nets with anything and everything which can�t escape through the mesh.

On some beaches you can buy fresh caught pomfret, tiger prawns, red snapper, crabs and mullet, to name but a few and have it stir-fried at a shack where a quick sauce of garlic and shallots is tossed with turmeric and chilli.

The fishermen eat what they call Boatman�s Curry. It uses meaty fish steaks such as cod, swordfish or salmon, cooked in a thick spice paste (red chillies, cayenne pepper, paprika, ground coriander, turmeric and grated coconut) which is first fried then mixed with tamarind paste, green chillies, ginger, shallots and salt.

Apart from fish, a popular celebration meal is �stew� for especially for Christians at the end of fasting for Lent. Made from boneless lamb shoulder with potatoes and carrots simmered in spicy sauce of cardamom, cinnamom, cloves, curry leaves, ginger green chillies and onion with coconut milk added at the end, it resembles a spicy Irish stew.

Another favourite lamb dish is shoulder meat stewed with fennel, spices, vinegar and toasted coconut chips. The sauce is allowed to dry out so it clings to the meat and the dish is finished with fried mustard seeds, shallots and curry leaves.

Duck and chicken are readily available and vegetable dishes are common as many Hindus are vegetarian. Whatever the vegetable, it will very often be mixed with coconut.

Local boiled red rice is eaten with every meal and sometimes appams which are rice pancakes with a spongy centre. Ginger chutney or yoghurt with pineapple may also be served.

Favourite snacks are paper-thin slices of plantain or banana deep fried in coconut oil - the Keralan equivalent of western potato chips.

Liz Canham:

As well as a love of Asian cooking and travel as you can see in her Asian Food and Cookery and Travellers' Tales websites, Liz seeks to help newcomers to the world of internet marketing with tools, tips and training from her Liz-e-Biz.com website.

Discover the 5 Essential Rules of Food Combining

Standard diets contain numerous recommendations regarding healthy nutrition. They classify foods, herbs, spices and beverages as �good� or �bad� � for everybody.

(Un)fortunately, we are all unique and different. Every person has their own metabolic type, blood type, sensitivities and most of us at least some health issues. We live in different climate and environmental conditions and each of us has a very unique collection of inherited (or mutated) genes.

All these factors and several others determine:

• Which foods are good for us and which are not;
• which ingredients from the food intake our body can digest and utilize and
• which of the ingredients get stored somewhere in the body because they can�t be processed or eliminated. These excess substances may start causing health problems after they build-up to a certain level and because we keep adding them.

The ability to hear what our body is �telling us� is the best way (above all!) to follow in order to treat this �earthly vehicle� in a form of physical body the best we can. However, with all the distractions that the modern society is �screaming at us�, we experience many moments when it�s difficult to hear or feel the signals that come from within us.

Therefore, adopting the following five rules of food combining can be a tremendous help to our digestive system. All the bodily processes may run smoother without incompatible foods. At the same time, only the foods that complement each other can be properly processed or eliminated from the body.

1. Fruits or variety of fruits are best eaten alone (in the morning or a few hours after other foods) because they are easier and faster digested than other foods. When eaten with or on top of other foods, fruits begin a fermentation process in the stomach (due to delayed stomach juices) which enables gas to go through the intestines. The only exception to this rule seems to be citrus fruits, eaten with nuts.
2. Proteins are best combined with vegetables.
3. Starches are best combined with vegetables.
4. Whenever possible, avoid combining protein (like meat, milk and milk products) with starches (like potatoes, pasta, rice and breads). For digestion, proteins require an acid digestive medium and starches are digested in alkaline one. Eaten together (proteins and starches), they interfere with each other�s utilization. Digestion of a meal that includes both (proteins and starches) is not efficient, takes much longer and may lead to poor utilizing of nutrients, indigestion, gas, abdominal discomfort and bloating.
5. One protein per meal is enough; different protein foods consumed during one meal can easily mean an excessive intake of fats or protein.

The five rules above alone can aid loosing excess weight and health in general. Of course they mean that there will be no more common meals like sandwiches (lunch meat, cheese and bread), meat with potatoes or fish with pasta and so on.

For most people these rules might seem completely unacceptable or too hard to carry out. But if you are one of those whose heart resonated with the message of this article, give food combining a try for thirty days - and see how that makes you feel.

Copyright � 2007 D. Perse. All rights reserved.

D. Perse is a student of Herbology at Clayton College of Natural Health, passionate about growing herbs and collecting interesting facts about them, including history and legends, medicinal uses, recipes, growing tips and more. Website http://www.dariasworld.info is devoted to herbs and offers tons of free information for the purpose of educating and empowering, never to diagnose, prescribe or treat. Because one's health is in one's own hands.

A Sweet Taste of Sunshine

Peaches are the food of kings and royalty. They are extra sweet, filled with juice that runs with each bite, and are versatile. They lend themselves to any meal and are a snack time treat. Eating them fresh and cold is just about the finest indulgence when hot winds blow and the temperature rises.

There are two kinds: namely, clingstone, which are fantastic canned, or freestone, where the pit just slips out with little effort. Fresh peaches should smell "fresh". Don't buy those that are hard or greenish. They won't ripen and will probably decay before they are fit to eat. They were picked green for shipping purposes and to maintain shelf life, but were not given the chance to mature on the tree to ripen with heavenly juices and soft moist flesh.

Peaches discolor quickly so if using in salads or on top of dessert dishes, sprinkle with lemon juice to avoid darkening. If you wish to skin a peach, start at the stem end and separate a bit of skin from the flesh with a small knife, such as a paring knife. Pull the skin off in strips.

For a gourmet fresh salad, layer sliced peaches, fresh mozzarella cheese slices and fresh basil leaves. Season with sea salt and just a tad of olive oil over the top. Perfect, light, and just plain good.

Peaches also work well in salsas. For chicken or fish items, use peaches, cucumbers, red or green bell peppers, red onions, and just picked diced zucchini. Mix lime juice, olive oil and a tiny pinch of sea salt for a dressing. Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes and cilantro. Serve in individual dishes or right over grilled chicken pieces or fresh grilled fish. The colors are bright, the flavor is zesty, and the extra touch makes any meal a feast.

Peaches can be sliced, panfried with a tiny bit of butter, just enough to glaze a bit. Sprinkle with brown sugar, not too much, as the peaches are already sweet, and a quick dash of vanilla. When the mixture is warm, place over vanilla ice cream in cups or bowls. The warm peach mixture melts right into the creamy ice cream for a treat that young and old will find irresistible.

Peaches can even be a main part of any kabob you may be planning for your menu. Whether it is steak bits, large shrimp, or even pork medallions, added right along with green/red bell peppers and onion wedges - they are unbelievably the best addition to any BBQ. A quick marinade would be honey, a bit of mustard, minced garlic and thyme brushed on just before grilling. A neat idea is to use a wooden spoon and tie with twine some thyme, marjoram leaves, or even cilantro or parsley and brush your kabobs. This is the freshest way to get extra flavor with a "flick" of a wooden spoon. Neat, quick, and well, fancy if the guests are watching you do your BBQ magic.

Peaches are best fresh, of course, but during the winter months, canned work well. Use your peaches in cereals, hot or cold, diced and mixed in plain or vanilla yogurt, and well, the possibilities are endless and just whatever your imagination can think of. They are sweet and good for you, and the memory of summer-time peaches will keep you waiting for the summer season when cold winter winds blow. Something to think about.
�Arleen M. Kaptur
August, 2007

Arleen M. Kaptur has written many books and articles on everyday living and finding peace and joy in all we do.

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Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:42:38 GMT

Yog freezes for the future Freshinfo, UK - Oct 17, 2008 Other plans include introducing a new range of toppings, which will include Goji berries and wheatgrass, set to launch this winter.

Not just A blog about properties of goji berries

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT
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